Car-door



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. G. CODBR 8v F. C. RUFPHVEAD. GAR DOOR.

No. 552,821. Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

mummy/1,3

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

H. G. GODER su?. o. RUFP'HEAD.

CAR DOOR.

No. 552,821. Pamted Jan. 7, 1896.

(No Model.) 3- Sheets-Sheet 3.

' H. G. CODBR 8v P. C. RUPFHEAD.

GAR DOOR.

No.7 552,821, Patented Jan. 7, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

HARRY G. CODER AND FREDERICK O. RUFFHEAD, OF XVILLIAMSPORT, PENN-SYLVANIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE KEYSTONE OAR DOOR AND SUPPLY GOM- IANY, OFSAME PLACE AND CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

C A R D O C R.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,821, dated January'7, 1896. Application filed May 24, 1893. Serial No. 475,365. (Nomodel.)

To all! whom ab may concern: the joint as tight as possible when thedoor Be it known that we, HARRY G. @ODER and is closed to keep outmoisture, water, and

FREDERICK O. RUFFHEAD, of XVilliamsport, sparks from the locomotive.

in the county of Lycoming and State of Penn- O is a track, the samebeing located above 5 Sylvania, have invented certain new and usethedoorway and its length being sufficient to 5 5 ful Improvements inCar-Doors and we do allow the door to slide a distance equal to itshereby declare the following to be a full, clear, width to one side outof the way of the doorway and exact description of the invention, suchin the usual manner. The trackway shown as will enable others skilled inthe art to which in Fig. l consists in a narrow strip of metal IO itappertains to make and use the same. Secured to a blocking l narrowerthan itself, 6o

Our invention relates to an improvement so that its edges project aboveand below the in car-doors. blocking; also, by reference to Fig. f3 itwill Means have been employed heretofore for be seen that one end of thetrack slopes graducausing car-doors to automatically enter their allyinward over the doorway, as at 2, and as I 5 doorways so as to extendflush with the outer shown in the patent above referred to for the V6 5surface of the side of the car for the purpose purpose of carrying theend of the door travelof making a nice lit, to prevent the entrance ingupon it inward. At the point where the of water or moisture of any kindfrom storm, track starts to converge or incline inward a and to excludesparks or any other damaging switch-block 3 is inserted for throwing the2o agent likely to find its waythrough the cracks end of the door, whichstops opposite it, in- 7o around cardoors. In the means heretofore ward.This block has a notch 4 formed thereemployedfor instance, theconstruction disin adapted to receive one of the hangers and closed inLetters Patent No. 382,243, granted is provided with flanges 6 and 7above and to T. G. Ruilfhead-this was accomplished by below, borderingupon the notch and consti- 2 5 the use of two rails, one at the top andone tuting continuations of the straight and con- 7 5 at the bottom,traversed by bearings or shoes verging portions of the track. The topand attached to the sliding door. Our present bottom anges 6 6 are eachnotched, as at S construction is an improvement on that con- 8, for apurpose which will now be explained. struction and, abstractedlyspeaking, in the The door Ais supported upon the track by 3o presentinstance we dispense entirely with means of a pair of hangers D and E,the for- So the bottom rail and suspend the door upon. mer being rigidand constructed with short hangers constructed to travel upon the upperinwardly-projecting lips 9 9, which overlap rail. Other details areemployed, as will be and embrace the edges of the track, so .that fullybrought out hereinafter in the descripthey absolutely' prevent lateraldisplacement 3 5 tion and set forth in the claim. or derailment of thedoor, and yet these lips 85 ln the accompanying drawings, Figure lisaare so short that they do not strike anges (3 view in elevation showingour improved door. 6, but pass through the notches S S formed Fig. 2 isa plan view. Fig. 3 is a horizontal in them and continue on upon theinclined or section through the rigid bolt at the edge of convergingportion of the track. The other 4o the door and its lock-plate. Fig. 4is a sechanger E has a pivotal or swivel connection 9o tion through theswitch-plate. Fig. 5 is a with the part which is secured to the door, assectional view through the swivel-hanger. at 12, and while this hangeris also furnished Fig. G is a modified construction of hanger, withinwardly-projecting lips 9 9 they are and Figs. 7 and S show inodiiiedforms of longer than the lips 9 9 of the rigid hanger,

45' track and switches. and hence do not pass through the notches S 95 Arepresents a door, and B a doorway con- S, but follow the iianges 6 G,thus throwing the structed to receive the door. The edges of the end ofthe door to which it is attached inward doorway and door not onlyconform in shape on a plane with the opposite edge of the door or toeach other, but also they are preferably flush with the side of the car.Thus by the 5o beveled orinclined, as shown, in orderto make use of asingle track at the top and the two roo hangers, one rigid and the otherswiveled, We are enabled to accomplish what has required double thisnumber of parts heretofore, but in lieu of the lower track and hangersWe eniploy other means for locking the door, which Will be explained. Toreturn to the swivel- 'hanger it may be stated by Way of amplificationthat the swivel-joint is formed by forming a recess l5 in the rear ofthe rigid lower portion of the hanger and locking the cylindrical stein1G therein by means of a Wedgeshaped key or block 17, as shown in Fig.5. In this connection it may be stated that in the modification shown inFig. 7, in lieu of the switch-block one end of the track is simply bentinward, and in the modification shown in Fig. 8 the track, instead ofinclining or converging at one end, is bent inward ab ruptly at bothends alike. In the construction shown in Fig. G the hanger has a Wheeltherein to reduce or prevent friction.

As a locking means the following is pro vided: At one end the door isprovided With tongue or tenen 18 vand the door-frame with asocket-plateor mortise 19 adapted to receive the tongue or tenen 1S. At the oppositeend the door is provided with locking hook or button 20, Which swingsaround on a pin and hooks at the rear on the door-frame.

Cleats 2l vand 22 are placed on the side of the car as guides and stopsfor the door when open to stop it and to prevent its swinging outward;also the door may be furnished with a handle .23, by which it is easilygrasped to slide it back and forth.

It is evident that other slight changes might be resorted to in the formandy arrangement of the several parts described Without departing fromthe spirit and scope of our inveir tion, and hence We do not Wish tolimit ourselves to the exact construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described our invention, What We claim as new, and desireto secure by Lerters Patent, is

The combination With a car, a door and a track secured to the car overthe opening for the door, said track being made in two sections andarranged to gradually recede from the car body, of a switch blockbetween said sections of the track, said switch block having a curvedopening or recess, flanges on said switch block coincident with one Wallof the recess or opening and with a portion of the outer face of theswitch block and forming a continuation of one track section, anges onthe outer edge of the switch block and forming a continuation of thevother track section. and hangers on the door adapted to run on saidtrack sections and flanges, substantially as set forth. i

vIn testimony whereof We have signed this specication in the presence oftwo subscribing Witnesses.

HARRY G. (JODER. FREDERICK C. RUFFHEAD.

lVitnesses:

C. R. HARRIS, W. S. FoULK.

